


The Vanguard's Fall

by Azei



Series: The White Pawn's Knight [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst Thy Name Is Azei, BAMF Valeera Sanguinar, Canon-Typical Violence, Clueless Anduin Wrynn, Comedy, Drama, Duckling Anduin, Duckling Karmon(OC), F/M, Fake Character Death, Fluff and Angst, MotherHen!Valeera, Mystery, Mystery Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Over-Protective Varian Wrynn, Overprotective Valeera Sanguinar, Protective Original Female Characters, Rogue Human, Romance, Secret Relationship, Stupidity Long May She Regin Over All, Violence, oblivious characters, why do I do this to myself?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-18 15:38:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azei/pseuds/Azei
Summary: When The Vanguard is shot down over a new and mysterious land, the half-elf Karmon is separated from her prince and thought to be dead to everyone she cares for and must face a world where enemies surround her at every turn and hope seems to diminish a little bit more every day.Meanwhile, in Stormwind, Valeera quickly takes charge in order to find both of her young apprentices and Varian promptly enlists his champion Lidya Appleton to help find his son and his best friends ward.





	The Vanguard's Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Naomida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naomida/gifts), [ShadowPhoenixRider](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowPhoenixRider/gifts).



> While this is my first Warcraft story, I have been playing WoW for over 10 years, I started a little while after the second expansion came out and I've been playing ever since. Now, to make sure everything is correct- I'm very big on canon if you can believe it...I like to keep things as close as possible to make it seem real- I do in fact have a human rogue named Karmon who's is about to start MoP. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't own WoW or I would've made this cannon by now! Actually, one more thing, this is a gift series to two of the greatest Warcraft Love Story writers I have ever had the pleasure to talk to. A Varian/OC writer by the name of Naomida and a Khadgar/OC writer by the name of ShadowPhoenixRider! They both have generously gifted me the use of their main characters in my story!

Waves crashed all around, sloshing water aboard the deck of _The Vanguard_ as cannons fired in the distance, the water suddenly soaking her boots though she gave it no mind. The ship shuddered as it was hit once more, the force enough to distract her and cause her to lose her balance.

As she drops to the ground, head banging the soggy wood of the deck, it takes her an embarrassingly long time to gather her bearings. Stunned, she shakes her head and looks at the chaos surrounding her. She glances to her side, her long pointed ears twitching as she catches a sizzling noise before she fully spins around and stares at something that makes her blood-red eyes widened dramatically and her blood freeze in her veins.

Before she can even as so much move out of the way the cannon alongside her gives a large booming noise and suddenly her ears ring and the world spins and in a daze she attempts to get up, holding onto the seemingly simple yet intricate wooden railing beside her.

She can barely understand when he cries out her name but then a gloved soaked hand reaches forwards and takes a hold of her naked shoulders and shakes her. She snaps her head and finds herself looking into the baby blue eyes of her love. His normally soft golden blonde hair was soaked and matted onto his forehead. His eyes, usually so tender and kind, were alight with fear and worry, but a hint of resolve behind them. She can see his lips move, she can't quite make out what he's saying, but as he gets louder and louder, the ringing in her hear dissipates.

"-mon! Karmon! Can you hear me?"

It was like a fog had lifted and quickly she tried to find something to say, anything at all, to reassure him that she was all right when she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Anduin!" Instantly, relief swam in his baby blues as he stared at her, a hint of exasperation behind them.

He smiled, so bright and wide and all hers, only hers to see. Those smiles were reserved for her. And suddenly she was back in Stormwind, hiding within the secret passageway, away from the cooks as they held freshly baked goods she had snuck in to take for them to eat.

Then the sound of countless soldiers yelling orders permitted the air as reality sunk in. Their heads snapped up in unison when they heard Admiral Taylor yelling for them to go below deck. The two teens glanced at one another and agreed silently as they advanced towards the hold. Making they're way inside, Karmon let her love go first before firmly slamming the door closed.

She ignored the yells of her prince as she donned her daggers. "Karmon, you open this door right now!"

"I can't," she replied, her mind occupied as she took out her pistol and filled it with the lead bullets she kept in her side pouch.

"Why? What do you even think you're doing by staying out there unprotected!" Oh **_boy,_** did he ever sound pissed, light almighty give her the strength to deal with his pout later!

"I can't," she repeated. "I made a promise to your father to protect you Anduin. You're the sole heir to the throne. Besides, if you died, who would I steal kisses from? " A smirk settled on her full pink lips as she heard a laugh from behind the door.

"Is that the only thing I'm good for?" he asks, voice muffled through the wood.

"Well, I suppose you have some other uses..." she trails off.

"Like what?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, my prince. " Karmon cocks her gun and pulls up her hood.

"Karmon?" she hears him speak softly to her.

"Yes, my prince?" she inquires just as delicate.

"I-I... " he starts. "Don't die out there. That's an order."

"Like I would ever disobey a direct order from my prince." She allows her hand to slide down the stretch of the door before walking away.

 

-

 

With a heavy heart, Karmon swings up onto the deck, stealth on and dagger in hand as she goes around slashing and stabbing all the horde invaders that somehow made it onto the deck of the ship while she was down below.

Grunting, she kicked a troll in the face before cocking her gun and pulling the trigger, watching the bullets hit his shoulder, chest, and abdomen. High on the thrill of adrenaline, she kicks and stabs and shoots her way around the deck when suddenly a knife suddenly sheaths itself into her right thigh and another into her side. Searing hot agony hits her like a full force tram and white dots flash in her eyes.

Her body spasms in pain and she cries out, loud and clear, gaining the attention of her comrades and enemies alike. Her blood red eyes flutter for a moment as she gasps when the same knife that was stuck in her thigh only a moment ago is ripped from without mercy. Karmon looks at her wound, the crimson staining her clothes with an outline of a sickly looking neon green.

' _Poison'_ she grimly thinks. ' _Man oh man if mother ever finds out that I made a rookie mistake like that she'll never let me leave this down! That is if she doesn't kill me for making it._ '

She yells a little as another flash of pain hits her before she looks up with tired and pain filled eyes to see her attacker. Another rogue, an orc this time, one who wields a deadly smile as she admires her handiwork. With a growl and a hand clutching her side, she slashes at the would-be assassin.

Startled by her sudden attack, Karmon manages to get the orc thrown off her game, however, as the poison gradually starts to set in, abrupt flashes of pain flare from her side, distracting her and allowing her opponent to gain an upper hand once again. They battle with the orc deliberately starting to push Karmon back towards the side of the ship, daggers clashing as they both try to gain an upper hand against the other.

Eventually, Karmonm in her deluded state manages to get pushed into a corner and realizing this, chooses to put the last of her quickly fading strength into getting the other rogue. As she raises her hand, dagger glimmering in the light, she strikes down hard and fast, only to stop an inch away from the orc's skin. She feels numb and can't seem to pull forth any of her strength, her dagger clattering onto the wooden flooring of the deck.

Crimson eyes glance downwards to find the orc's poison daggers buried deep within her abdomen. Blinding, white pain sears from her stomach as the orc abruptly drives her blades in further and twists them mercilessly. Karmon quickly looks up again to see the orc smiling cruelly down at her before suddenly, she toppling over the railing. As she goes into free fall, she looks towards her killer, arms stretched out and that's when she realizes that she's going to die.

And suddenly time seems to flow again as she hits the icy water, her senses come alive as the cold envelops her like a dear friend she never knew she missed.

She gasps, water filling into her lungs and as her vision starts to fade, she can only see her very life, all 15 years, flash before her eyes.

_How cliche._

She ponders whether or not she'll be raised from the dead by her mother just so she can kill her for getting herself killed. Anduin would probably help as wel-

_Anduin._

_Oh, Anduin, my love, my prince._

Suddenly, every thought, memory, and feeling she's ever had or experienced with Anduin is up, front and center. The last thing Karmon thinks of is Anduin before her world goes dark.

_I'm sorry my love, looks like this will be one order I can't obey..._

As she drifts far away from the flagship, she never noticed that she gets caught in a current and taken upstream before washing up on the bed of the river. Never sees the Pandaren that comes upon her by sheer luck, never hears the yells and exclamations of surprise nor the strange inhabitant who finds her and brings her to the village nearby. All she sees, hears and feels is the memory of Anduin, firmly stuck on her mind even as she hovers between life and death.

 

-

 

**A Week After The Vanguard's Fall...**

 

-

 

Blood-red eyes flutter awake and a groan pulls itself from her mouth as Karmon registers that everything, her whole body from the tips of her toes to her long thick crimson mane of hair, even her teeth, just aches. As she starts to pull herself up, a hiss tears itself from her lips as a sharp pain erupts from her side. 

"Careful, young one, you'll pull your stitches."

Quick as lightning, Karmon attempts to grab her pistol and point it at the voice when she realizes a few things; 1. Her gun and knives are gone 2. She's not dead and currently in an unknown place with a talking bear in front of her 3. Holy shit that hurt!

Moaning, she falls back down into the bed and promptly gives up trying to defend herself, even if she had her weapons on her, she's not exactly mobile right now. She turns her head looking towards her saviour. It's a panda. Instead of black his fur is brown and white, he's wearing a masters clothes and has a brown mutton chop beard. 

"Where am I? Who are you? How am I even alive right now?" she rapidly fires questions to the strange talking bear.

The mutton chop bear chuckles," Slow down, young one, all will be answered in due time. I am Master Bruised Paw. And you are?"

"Which one?" She sighs as she looks at him.

"Pardon?" The confusion on his face was so visible it was laughable. 

"Which name do you want? My official title or my name?"

"How about we do both?"

"Okay, if you're sure. My 'normal' name is Karmon. Just Karmon." she sees him test her name on his tongue before he nods.

"It's a good name. Strong. Reliable. You were named well."

She rolls her eyes but nods none the less. "Now, what is this title you speak of?"

" My official title when in my country is Lady Karmonia, ward of Lady Valeera Sanguinar and protector of His Highness, Anduin Wrynn, Crown Prince of Stormwind. " If she wasn't so tired, she would've laughed at the way his eyes widened comically.

"Ah, I see why you don't like that one."

Silence reigned over the small home they were in and for once, Karmon was glad. Usually, she hates the silence, after all, when it's silent is when she strikes down all those who oppose her or threaten her prince. Her darker thoughts were interrupted by a steaming cup of what looked to be green tea being thrust into her hands.

She accepted the tea with a small nod, "So, do you think you can answer the rest of my questions?"

"Ahh yes, of course. You are in my hut, deep within the Paoquan Hollow. You are alive right now by a stroke of luck and nothing else. Jon Greentill was up at the Stormstout Brewery looking for some leftover brew when he noticed an odd figure laying on the bank of the river. He went to investigate and imagine his surprise when he finds you, bruised and bleeding with two daggers still stuck into your abdomen. The best guess we have is that you only survived so long because the knives kept the blood in. If they hadn't you would've bled out before you even reached the Krasarang Wilds, let alone the brewery. "

As the bear continued to talk about her wounds, a faint pain flared from her side and Karmon started to rub at it absentmindedly. The Master trailed off as he noticed her rubbing. He let her peel back her bandages to look at her wound.

It was ugly. A deep red that swelled up angrily and every time she breathed, it pulsed and shot off a wave of pain that made her bit her lip in between her teeth. Around the fierce wound was a forest of dark purple and blue bruising that would not heal nicely, that she knew. She continued to peel down the bandages, looking at her leg and the scar it now held. It was just as ugly, just as bruised, just as red.

She was silent as he sighed," We didn't know about the poison until it was almost too late, the river had washed off the majority off it but some had already entered your bloodstream by the time Jon found you. We finally noticed when your fever wasn't going down and the tissue surrounding your wounds began to die. We managed to make the antidote in time but even our most gifted healers couldn't fix everything. Even if you had the greatest healer in the world, the time to heal it has already passed. There's nothing they will be able to do. It will never go away. I...I am sorry." 

Karmon didn't even realize she was crying until a tear slipped off her cheek. "There's more, I'm afraid." She snapped her head up to look at him and he looked so weary torn as he stared at her and then to her wound. 

"The poison-" he started. 

"What about it?" she demanded.

"Because it took us so long, there's a chance the pain will never go away. You may not be able to fight like you used to ever again."

Pale shaking hands gripped the bed sheets tightly, tears flowed freely down from her face and hit her hands, soaking them in her anguish. "No..." she began. His head snapped up from her wound to her face, unable to see her eyes as they were covered from crimson strands. 

Karmon snapped her head up and looked him in the eye, "I need to be able to fight. I need to be able to protect Anduin. Help me, help me get better. I'll do whatever it takes! I may not be able to fight the way I used too ever again, so teach me a way to, please!"

Master Bruised Paw looked into her eyes, his own weary gold met her crimson eyes that were flooded by tears yet they held a resolve in them. The determination in them burned fiercely and after a moment, he nodded.

"I won't be able to," he admits.

"Why not?"

"Even if I wanted to, becoming a monk will not benefit you in any way on your journey. You are a rogue, plain and simple, what you need is someone to teach you a style similar to the one you used."

It was silent for a few moments as Karmon processed what he was telling her. "So, what can I do? I need to find Anduin and I can't do that-!" she raised her hand, gesturing wildly in her anger. "-If I'm some damsel in distress who can't even defend herself!"

"...There may be a way after all," he says. Karmon whirled her head around to look at him. 

"Really?" she croaks.

"Yes."

"Please! Teach me! Show me the way, I'll do it."

He was silent for a moment before he spoke, "It will be gruelling. You may even die. But the season is right and in a month's time, if you choose to accept, you will go through three trials and find your way. There is a saying, ' _Up high, in the mountains of Kun-Lai Summit, the ancient defenders of Pandaria dwell. And when the blossoms bloom their fiery red leaves once more, the trials of the Shado-Pan begin._ ' Do you accept?" 

"I'm ready Master Bruised Paw. I'm not just doing this for me but for Anduin, I need to find him. "

He nodded. "Then let us head to Kun-Lai Summit."

 

 

-

 

**A Month Later**

**Shado-Pan Monastery, Kun-Lai Summit**

 

-

 

"You want me to accept this outsider as an initiate in our sacred trials?" Taran Zhu looked at his old teacher, starring the older, retired Shado-Pan down. " She looks as if the wind would blow her over if it blew the wrong way!" he exclaimed.

Master Bruised Paw stared into his old student's eyes almost as if searching for something most could not see and gave a smirk when he found it. "That's correct. She is...a refugee from a far-off land, separated from the others who were travelling with her and almost killed," he explained.

"What use do I have for a Shado-Pan who couldn't even survive the Krasarang Wilds on her own!"

"I never said that." The Hidden Master spoke after a moment of silence, He took another sip of the tea he held in his hand, its steam rising gently up into the air.

"Never said what?" the Lord of the Shado-Pan asked, frustrated with the ambiguity in his master's voice.

" I never said she was almost killed here in Pandaria. No, she was setting sail for home with her kingdom's prince. An enemy caught them off guard on the coast of the Krasarang Wilds and she joined in the battle to protect her prince. She was stabbed three times with a poisoned blade, thrown overboard, and was caught in the current of the river that flows through the land there. She was pulled all the way up to Stormstout Brewery when she finally washed up onto the banks. A travelling merchant found her, brought to her to me. We almost didn't notice the poison until it was too late. She woke up a month or so ago and once I told her of her condition, she begged me to teach her. To help her get better."

"I know you, Hidden Master, you wouldn't hesitate to help. Yet you have. Tell me." Taran ordered suspiciously.

"I have nothing to teach the girl."

"Explain."

"She is a rogue. One who silently steps through the shadows, one who kills swiftly and without sound, one who gets the job done the first time because she may not live to try again if she fails. She is no monk. She is an assassin and as you can recall, when I was still with the Monastery, I was the Master of the Blackguard, not the Wu Kao. She needs the Shado-Pan. She is an asset. If her prince is as important as she says he is, others will flock to our home, looking for him. But not all who look for him will search in hopes of bringing him home, no, they seek to kill him...if those two factions clash upon our shores, no doubt the sha will be released once more. If we are to save our home and she her prince, we must work together. Or we will all fall and the world will burn."

Silence reigned throughout the room as Taran consider his master's words, deep in thought. In front of him, Master Bruised Paw took another sip of tea, finishing it off, before standing to his feet. He turned, his clothed back to his former student, and began to walk away. However, just as he reached for the door, he paused and took a deep breath before speaking. 

"Besides," he began. Taran looked up at his master, pulled from his troubling thoughts by his smooth steady voice. One that was always calm, was always so sure of himself. "It's too late anyway. She's already begun the trials with the other 10 initiates." And with that he walked away, humming a cheery tune as he left.

From where he was still seated, Taran playfully glared at his mentors retreating back.

"I suppose," he spoke in the empty room. "That I have no choice. For the good of Pandaria, I will let this Karmon take her chances with the trials...and if she passes, then I will admit my defeat and accept her as one of the Shado-Pan."

 

-

 

 

It was the dead of night. The moons of Azeroth shined brightly from the night's sky, stars twinkling in the distance and Karmon finds herself staring up at them for hours on end, sleep eluding her. With a sigh, she pulls herself up from her bed, careful to not make much noise and wake Pei-Ling across the room. She grabs her long crimson mane and twists and turns it until it sits innocently atop her head aside from the few stray hairs that frame her face. 

She pulls her knees up to her chest and simply stares at the madly twinkling lights up in the sky. They were so free...so far out of reach...so safe from all that happened down here on Azeroth. From all the pain and suffering. From the sacrifices, the people make to protect themselves and those they care about safe. She starts to absentmindedly rub at her palm, feeling the slight bumps from under her fingerpads.

She traces the pattern over and over again, reliving the memory of the burning coin in her hand, the way she looked down in horror at her hand: blistered, burned and so horribly defaced. They would never be smooth again. They were mutilated and she didn't even realize that she had started to cry until the first few wet hot tears splashed onto her scarred palm. 

What would Anduin say, knowing she willingly took those tests, willingly picked up the white-hot coin and permanently scarred her hand? These hands were the ones Anduin held when they found themselves all alone, the hands that he kissed each night before she left for her bed to remind her he loved her even when he was away, the hands she used to save his life...and she had ruined them. 

A small quiet sob bubbles up from her throat before she can stop it and she quickly pulls herself together, sniffling back her tears and staring at her hands for what seems like hours. When her tears have run dry and her hand has stopped shaking, she takes a shuddering breath and wipes her eyes that have puffed up in her grief.

She looks back down at her hands: calloused and covered in scars. Her blood-red eyes trailed down to her side and traced the length of the fierce red scar, from her hip to its tip that stopped just below her chest bindings. She then pulled up the short shorts she wore and looked down to her leg, now healed, but covered by a large jagged scar that was pale in some areas but still a deep angry red that would never go away in others. She was littered with scars all over her body.

But they meant something. She had gotten each and every one of them from protecting Anduin, saving him, keeping him alive to live another day, so she could have her hands held and have them kissed by her prince. And the new scar on her palm? Sure, it may not have come from directly saving his life, but if getting this symbol burned onto her hand gives her the chance to be able to save him later on...

Well, she would do it over and over and over again if it means protecting him.

 

-

 

**5 Months After The Vanguard's Fall**

 

-

 

" We've made a thorough inspection of the wreckage your Majesty... there is no sign of Admiral Taylor or his ship."

His Majesty, Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind stares down at his war table, "Two hundred ships at my disposal yet the one carrying my son goes missing!" he fiercely shouts as he bangs a fist against the board.

"What of their last message?" he doesn't even glance towards Rell Nightwind, "Show me whatever you have!" he orders.

Rell only gives the slightest inclination before striding towards the other side of the room, his long purple hair swaying as he turned. He motions to the simple gleaming pool before a vision of Admiral Taylor appears.

" We've been drawn off course... Horde airfleet... many casualties... shipwrecked on an uncharted isle... but the White Pawn is accounted for. Repeat: the White Pawn is safe." The Admiral asserts out in a sharp rigid tone.

"Anduin... " Varian murmurs.

"However, the Red Knight is lost. I repeat, The Red Knight is dead! Surprise Attack! Requesting immediate- if anyone's receiving..." Taylor's speech was cut off with the unmistakable sounds in the distance a telling sign of his and the others fate.

"Sir, who is The Red Knight?" Rell questions, ultimately disrupting the silence the room had fallen into after the Admirals message was cut off.

"...The Red Knight is the personal bodyguard of my son," Varian starts after a while. "She's under orders to do whatever it takes to keep him alive, even commit treason if she needs to. If she's really gone..." he trails off.

" We need to find my son, now! " he suddenly snaps.

Now, how was he supposed to explain all of this to Valeera...

 

-

 

  **The Next Day...**

 

-

 

" **WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'SHE'S DEAD'?** " A loud bellow echoed through the keep of Stormwind's Palace.

From inside his study, Varian flinched. Clearly, Genn - _that traitor_ \- callously told her before he could. ' _Then again_ ' he thought. ' _Genn's always been one to play the blame game_. _In fact, he seems to abnormally excel at it_.' Finding it moot to continue his paperwork, Varian throws down his quill and rubs a hand over tired grey eyes.

" **VARIAN WRYNN!** " Suddenly, the doors fly off their hinges and bright light streams into the room. He leaps out of his chair just as quick letting his chair fall back without so much as a glance towards it when it crashes onto the stone floor with a dull thud. 

Looking towards the door, a silhouette stands in the doorway, intense green eyes gleaming menacingly before they trail around the room and land on the High King of the Alliance, Varian Wrynn himself. 

The hooded figure steps forward and there stood Valeera Sanguinar herself, in all her (BAMF) glory. The blood elves sharp pupilless eyes kept themselves trained on Varian as she marches forward, not an ounce of hesitation in her as she glides towards him, the high king quickly let himself be backed into the wall as she reaches him and pulls out a bright light green dagger and points it to his throat.

As she pushes the blade further into his neck, he gulps. Now, what one should know is that there are not many things that scare His Majesty, Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind and High King of the Grand Alliance. However, there are certain things that do, for example; his son in danger, his friends -or what little he still had- dying or betraying him, and finally, having a pissed off Valeera starring down at him because of his failures... _'Oh, would you look at that, guess that last one came true_.'

His mind came back from its wandering as his admittedly pissed off friend pressed her blade deeper into his skin, not enough to draw blood but enough that one wrong move and he would be no more.

"Varian Wrynn," she growled. " Why am I hearing from the dog that my Karmon is dead? Or that Anduin is lost on an uncharted island without back up while being hunted by the Horde? Tell me now!"

"Valeera, please, listen to me!" he demanded. 

"Fine. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Anduin was sent on a diplomatic visit to the exodar. Karmon, as you could've guessed, went along with him, not like I could've stopped her if I had wanted too, she would've broken out of the kingdom and followed him down to hell if that's where he had gone. The visit went well and they were on their way home aboard Admiral Taylor's Flagship when the southern horde airfleet attacked. They were in battle when supposedly, Karmon was killed in action. Anduin was reported to be safe in the hold, I'm guessing she locked him in there, then they crash landed on this mysteriously uncharted isle surrounded by a thick dense mist. That's all I know. " he tried to sound as calm as he could but the more he went on the more her blade dug into his neck.

"And why would you even wait to tell me this? Know your life may very depend on whether or not you give me the right answer, your majesty!" she snarled at him, fel green eyes growing brighter and brighter as her anger seeped through.

"We didn't know where to start. Besides, we were gathering the best of the best, I have no doubt that they will be within the week. Valeera, please, I can't find Anduin or Karmon if you kill me now. Let me go and I'll give you full control of this recon mission." he negotiated. 

Her eyes dimmed a bit but he could still feel the anger and frustration roll off of her in waves. "Who is this 'best of the best' Varian?"

"Who else but my champion, the fire mage, Lidya Appleton."

 

-

 

  **A Week After Valeera's Visit...**

 

-

 

"So, let me get this straight. You lost your son on a new, uncharted island with the Horde on his tails and Lady Valeera's kid may or may not be dead according to Admiral Taylor, who hasn't been found since all this started and now you want me, poor fragile Lidya Appleton, to go to said isle in enemy territory and hope nothing bad happens?"

 "Well, when you put it that way you ma-"

"Okay, I'll do it."

"ke- wait, what? You'll do it?

"Yeah."

"Just like that? Knowing all this, you'll still go and find my son and Lady Karmon?"

"Well yeah, it's not like I have anything better to do. Life's been a little too quiet now that that emo rage monster Deathwing is gone and I'm bored."

"You're bored?"

"Did I stutter, your majesty?"

Varian looked at the young woman before him, big brown eyes rolling at his baffled expression- he knew she was even if she tried to hide it. ' _Such a cheeky little thing_ ' he observes. ' _Then again she was the apprentice of Archmage Draerin so it's not that far-fetched that the man's personality would rub off on her...at least that's what Jaina said_.'

Lidya brushed a stray strand of chocolate brown hair out of her face and gave him an unimpressed look.

"No, I suppose you didn't champion. Now, are you ready to get started then?"

"Of course."

"Great. Now, Lidya, I'd like you to meet a dear friend of mine and Karmon's adoptive mother, the Lady Valeera Sanguinar." He motioned to his right and out from the shadows of his throne came Valeera.

"Miss Appleton it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine milady."

"Oh please, call me Valeera."

"Then, call me Lidya, I insist."

The two women laughed and walked away, chatting it up like old friends who've known each other for years instead of complete strangers. From his left, Genn stepped forward. 

"Why do I have the slightest inkling that I created a monster just now?" he remarked to his friend.

"That's because you did your majesty."

"Light be with us."

"Varian, you're not religious."

"I know."

"Oh."

**Author's Note:**

> Lidya Appleton, a fire mage, belongs to Naomida who has allowed me to use her! Thanks again!
> 
> And here is the link to a picture of Karmon: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AVctS_a93RovvjYODxpuYunTxGN23nXobvl7mAIIVNmP4MF5IJqW7gQ/ 
> 
> Now, to my calculations, it takes about 9 months before Varian and Anduin are reunited at Lion's Landing starting from when Anduin crashed on Pandaria. It takes 2 months from either Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms to reach Pandaria by ship. 
> 
> That means that from Kalimdor to the Eastern Kingdoms takes about 5 months, give or take a few weeks. So, by the time Anduin was stranded, it would take another 3 months before someone would notice them missing, maybe even longer in case, they are late by a week or so from rough seas(as assumed). 
> 
> Now, it's implied that it would take some time for them to find out the general location where they were last seen, so add maybe two weeks, and it's also implied that they sailed to their last known location so add 2 months. So 5 months or so. Not to mention the fact that it probably took the Skybreaker about 2 weeks to get to Pandaria. 
> 
> That's about 6 months 1 week already. Or I'd like to assume so this is the closest to canon timeline wise and I'm keeping it in my story because this way, Karmon, who had been recovering before they even knew they were missing, has time to get better and make it to the Shado-Pan.


End file.
